'I went to Asda and the £11.55 price for just these two products made me gasp out loud'

Amid the cost of living crisis, we're all used to having to spend more money in the supermarket.

Basics have risen, luxuries have risen, with many shoppers forced to either swap to cheaper brands or cut back altogether.

Having tracked prices in the main supermarkets over the last few years, I'm all too aware of the hikes that customers have endured. But on a trip to Asda this week, the price of two products made me gasp out loud.

Olive oil has shot up over the last year or so, but I was staggered to see that a litre of Asda's Extra Virgin Olive Oil is now £8.40.

Read more: I made the TikTok viral baked cottage cheese wrap and it looked like sick

It's not on its own though - at Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury's it's the same price, while Aldi sells a litre for £7.29.

The other price I found quite astonishing was a box of 80 Tetley tea bags for a whopping £3.15. It was a good few years back now, but I remember when you'd get a box of 100 for a quid. And just last January, I picked up the same box of 80 from Asda for £1.90.

It's no wonder our comparison of cheaper tea bags was so popular when prices of big brands have risen so much.

Again, Asda isn't alone with the inflated price tag. Sainsbury's is the same, while Tesco is slightly cheaper at £3 and Morrisons £2.85.

The Grocer reported in November how the price of standard olive oil had increased by 50 per cent, to around £6 or more for a 500ml bottle.

Extreme weather is largely being blamed, with many olive groves in the Mediterranean having dried up and droughts and wildfires playing a part, as well as increased post-Brexit trade tariffs.

Shoppers are rightly asking questions about why things have become so expensive, like melraunch on X, who shared a photo from Tesco and said: "Sorry but wtf is going on with the price of olive oil??"

Thousands of people responded, saying they too were 'horrified' by the hikes, with some saying they've stopped buying it because of the cost.

As for the price of tea, the Middle East conflict has pushed prices up even further. The Grocer reported recently how one brand’s herbal tea was up 52%, with prices rising due to inflation and economic uncertainty, but also the conflict in Gaza.

Asda pointed out that its Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the same price as a number of its competitors and reflects commodity cost price increases, which have been widely reported.